Among the works that will reside at the Menil Drawing Institute:
Jasper Johns
Corpse
1974-1975
Paintstik, ink and pastel on paper
42 1/2 x 28 1/2 inches
Photographer: George Hixson
Credit Line: The Menil Collection, Houston, Bequest of David Whitney
Art Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY less

Among the works that will reside at the Menil Drawing Institute:
Jasper Johns
Corpse
1974-1975
Paintstik, ink and pastel on paper
42 1/2 x 28 1/2 inches
Photographer: George Hixson
Credit Line: The Menil ... more

Photo: George Hixson

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Pablo Picasso's "Violin on a Table" is among works owned by the Menil Drawing Institute.

Pablo Picasso's "Violin on a Table" is among works owned by the Menil Drawing Institute.

Photo: Hickey-Robertson, Houston

Image 3 of 8

Among the works that will reside at the Menil Drawing Institute:
Willem DE KOONING
Black and White Rome S
1959
Black enamel and collage on paper
39-1/4 x 55-3/4 inches
The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York less

Among the works that will reside at the Menil Drawing Institute:
Willem DE KOONING
Black and White Rome S
1959
Black enamel and collage on paper
39-1/4 x 55-3/4 inches
The Willem de Kooning Foundation / ... more

Image 4 of 8

Michael Heizer's "Isolated Mass/Circumflex (#2)" earthwork is "drawn" into the lawn of the Menil Collection on Sul Ross.

Michael Heizer's "Isolated Mass/Circumflex (#2)" earthwork is "drawn" into the lawn of the Menil Collection on Sul Ross.

Photo: Menil Collection

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The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is one of the city's premier showplaces. The Audrey Jones Beck Building was designed by architect Rafael Moneo.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is one of the city's premier showplaces. The Audrey Jones Beck Building was designed by architect Rafael Moneo.

While Los Angeles architects Johnston Marklee got the commission last year to design the long-awaited Menil Drawing Institute, museum officials still won't reveal exactly where on the campus the new space will be built.

Helfenstein hopes to make an announcement in late summer. But he said Johnston Marklee was chosen for their sympathetic vision. And as their plans progress, he admires their "three-dimensional intuition" and consideration down to every single tree. "It's been a most illuminating process," he said.

Helfenstein now envisions expanded rather than reduced green space thanks to Johnston Marklee's integration of the landscape with the new building, which will be 18,000-20,000 square feet. The Institute will relate to Piano's sublime Cy Twombly Gallery - and be close enough to share an architectural dialogue. "It will help the Twombly and reposition it," Helfenstein said.

He even envisions Institute exhibits that might speak to the permanent installations of the Twombly gallery.

The Institute has to be different because it will be the world's only stand-alone building for the showing and study of contemporary drawings. "But it's not an old-fashioned notion of drawing," Helfenstein said.

Michael Heizer's earth sculptures are a type of drawing, Helfenstein suggested, including the permanent versions on the Menil's front lawn. And last year's Richard Serra exhibit at the Menil showed mark-making on a monumental scale.

Of course, the new building does have to protect extremely light-sensitive conventional drawings, including the kinds of studies that have represented the stirrings of artistic inspiration for centuries.

"Artists have a special relationship with drawings," Helfenstein said. "And they're interested in institutions that take care of them. We want to deepen that dialogue we've always had. ... This will become a very important destination."

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston contemporary building

The MFAH campus in the Museum District occupies what may be Houston's most verdant point, across from the Grand Gateway to Hermann Park. But its buildings essentially turn their back on the possibilities.

The museum's leaders hope to better integrate the campus' next major building, being designed by architect Steven Holl. It will fill what's now the surface parking lot on Bissonnet.

Director Gary Tinterow envisions the MFAH as "Houston's hub for all things cultural." The new building will house exhibits devoted to contemporary art, also bringing a lively dimension to the scene with dining and other activities.

Landscape architect George Kessler foresaw in the 1920s what the meeting of the city's grid could be at Main Street and Montrose Boulevard, he said. "It's an indication of the importance our city fathers felt for culture, and I want to fully exploit that."